Cope cleaning device



Oct. 25, 1966 c. MOORE ETAL 3,280,415

COPE CLEANING DEVICE Filed May 18, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

1966 c. L. MOORE ETAL COPE CLEANING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18. 1965 INVENTORS.

Oct. 25, 1966 c. L. MOORE ETA]... 3,280,415

COPE CLEANING DEVICE Filed May 18, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I/VVE/VTORLS CHESTER 1.. MOORE KENNETH W 6R4) United States Patent Cffice 328,415 Patented Get. 25, 1966 3,289,415 COPE CLEANENG DEVICE Chester L. Moore, Hueytown, Ala, and Kenneth Gray, Glen Ellyn, Ill., assignors to Amsted Industries Incorporated, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 18, 1965, Ser. No. 463,436 16 Claims. (Cl. 15-4) This is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 288,401 filed June 17, 1963, and now abandoned.

The present invention relates to apparatus for cleaning mold copes.

In the use of molds for casting articles such, for example, as steel wheels, as well as other articles, the copes of the molds are provided with riser holes into which the molten metal rises, at some point during the molding operation, and in which at least at times the molten metal stands. The sand in the molds becomes burned or is otherwise impaired, and in the continued use of the molds it is necessary to remove this sand and replace it for subsequent molding operations. The present invention is directed to those difliculties encountered in cleaning riser holes. Heretofore, the sand has been removed from those holes by manual operation, but such operation was not entirely satisfactory, having drawbacks such, for example, as gouging out or otherwise distorting the shape of the holes. The apparatus of the invention is also useful for cleaning materials other than sand from the holes.

A broad object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for cleaning such holes in mold copes, that overcomes the disadvantage pointed out above.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character referred to above which are more effective and faster acting than has been possible heretofore.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character stated, providing more precise operation of removing the sand and other materials from the holes.

Still another object is to provide apparatus for use with mold copes having a plurality of riser holes from which the material is removed simultaneously.

A still further object is to provide apparatus of the character indicated incorporating effective cleaner instrumentalities which are effective for both cutting and brushing burned sand and other material from the riser holes, with the additional advantage that at least one of the instrumentalities has a plurality of fingers effective for penetrating into a corresponding plurality of openings, such as in a spider.

Still another object is to provide apparatus of the foregoing character involving an extremely simple mode of operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the principal components of the apparatus of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a large scale axial sectional view of one of the cleaning instrumentalities;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the device of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a mold cope for cleaning which the apparatus of the invention is particularly adapted;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom view of the instrumentality utilized for cleaning the hub riser hole;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view indicating the cleaning operation being performed in inverted position;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view indicating the cleaning operation being performed in horizontal position;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view indicating the cleaning operation being performed in a position in which the cope is at an angle between vertical and horizontal.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, attention is directed first t-o FIGURE 1 which shows the apparatus of the invention in its entirety. The apparatus is indicated in its entirety at 12, shown in association with a mold cope 14 which is in position for cleaning. The mold cope is shown supported on a conveyor 16, including two spaced runs thereof, which is not as such an essential par-t of the apparatus, being utilized for carrying the mold cope into position for operation thereon by the apparatus, and which may be such conveyor means that is utilized with other operations.

The conveyor 16 may be of any preferred type, such as one having powered rollers which, upon rotation thereof, propel the carried article (mold cope) in the desired direction. Obviously, any of quite a variety of conveyors may be used.

The mold cope 14 itself, as here illustrated, embodies various bounding elements including a top element 18 which is provided with a plurality of riser holes 20. In the present instance, these holes include those found advisable in molding steel wheels, such as rail car wheels, which are, in this case, a central riser hole 20a, also known as a hub riser hole, and a plurality of outer riser holes 20b (e.g., three) distributed circumferentially around the mold adjacent the rim of the wheel to be molded. The riser holes 201; are preferably cylindrical in shape while a spider 21 is disposed in the central hub riser hole 28a, the spider having radial arms 22 defining a plurality of smaller holes 24. This arrangement will be referred to again hereinbelow in connection with the cleaner head used therein.

Referring again to FIGURE 1, the apparatus as such indicated at 12, includes a fixed frame indicated generally at 25, comprising lower frame members 26 fixedly mounted on a suitably supported base, and spaced apart laterally on opposite sides of the conveyor 16. Also included in the fixed frame are upper frame members 28 in vertical register with corresponding ones of the frame members 26, and a :beam 34 transversely connected therebetween. Vertical guide rods 32 are secured to and between the respective frame elements 26, 28, preferably two at each end, defining a rectangle. These guide rods 32 may be secured to the corresponding frame members in any suitable manner, such as by welding.

Mounted for vertical reciprocal movement on this frame means is a sub-frame indicated at its entirety at 34 which includes a pair of spaced beams 36 provided with apertures 38 for receiving respective ones of the guide rods 32, and they are interconnected by suitable means such as one or more cross connecting elements 40.

This movable sub-frame 34 carries a plurality of cope cleaner heads including a central head 42 and a plurality of outer cleaner heads 44, in this instance three in numher. All of the cleaner heads 42 and 44 are secured to the lower ends of vertical rods 46 and 48, respectively, secured to the sub-frame 34. r

The cleaner head 42 is centrally located, while the other three cleaner heads 44 are distributed therearound, all in a pattern to be in register with the respective riser holes 20a and 20b in the mold cope. The cleaner head 42, being effective for cleaning the hub riser hold 200, includes a plurality of fingers 50 secured to and extending downwardly from a plate 52 which is secured to the lower end of the rod 48. These fingers 50 are three in number to correspond with the holes 24 in the central hub riser hole 20a.

The cleaner heads 44 are best shown in detail in FIG- URE-S 2 and 3, each including a body 54 generally cylindrical in shape and having a central aperture 56 for receiving the lower reduced end 58 of the rod 46, there being a shoulder 60 on the rod engaging the upper surface of the body 54. The lower edge of the body 54 is chamfcred as indicated at 62. A circular brush 64 is clamped between the body portion 54 and a bottom washer element 66. This brush 64 is preferably a steel-clad Wire brush and is of slightly greater diameter than the body 54 and bottom element 66. The head 44 is completed by a bottom element 58 including a central solid portion 70 having a tapped central hole threadedly receiving the lower threaded end of the reduced portion 58 of the rod 46. This bottom element 68 is threaded up tight to clamp the elements in a rigid unitary assembly.

The central solid portion 70 of the bottom element 68 is of lesser diameter than the remaining portion of the head, and has secured thereto a plurality of (e.g., four) relatively thin radial blades 72. These blades 72, .preferably of slightly lesser radial extent than the element 66, are chamfered at their lower corners, as indicated at 74.

The undersurface of the element 66 is provided with an annular groove 76 around its circumference forming a cutting edge 78 for engaging the surface of the riser holes for more effective cleaning thereof.

In the preferred arrangement of the apparatus, the mold cope is disposed upright, i.e., with the riser holes vertical, and the cleaner head-s are moved downwardly in the cleaning operation, as shown and described. In such arrangement, the movable sub-frame 34 (FIG. 1) is lowered and raised by suitable power means which preferably is a double-acting pneumatic ram means having a cylinder 82 fixedly mounted on the fixed frame, such as on the beam 30, and a piston 84 connected with a movable frame, such as by means of the cross connecting member 40. A suitable source of compressed air (not shown) is provided for actuating the ram means. In the ope-ration of the device, the mold cope 14 is moved along the conveyor means 16 to a position under the sub-frame 34 which, at that time, is in elevated position in which the cleaner heads 42 and 44 are clear of the cope to enable the cope to pass thereunder. When the cope moves to the desired position, control means are actuated, as explained hereinbelow, and the conveyor means is halted for locating the cope in the desired position. In such position, the riser holes 2015 are disposed directly under the respective cleaner heads 24, while the central hub riser hole 20a is directly under the cleaner head 50, but with the further qualification that the cope is so positioned around its central vertical axis that the holes 24 are directly under and aligned with the respective fingers 50. Thereu-pon, the apparatus is actuated by energizing the ram means 80, and lowering the movable frame 34. The cleaner heads 42 and 44 are then inserted into the corresponding riser holes.

The novel cleaner heads are unusually effective for cleaning the sand and other material from the riser holes; in the case of the cleaner heads 44, the radial blades 72 produce an initial cutting and removing action, and after they have penetrated into the hole the cutting edge 78 engages the surface thereof and produces a further and more complete cleaning action. The chamfered surfaces 74 aid in centering the cleaner heads in the riser holes. As the cleaner head moves further into the hole, the steel wire brush 64 then continues the cleaning action, removing substantially all traces of sand.

In the case of the central head 42, the fingers 50 are preferably sharpened or pointed to facilitate their penetration into the sand. The sand is more easily removed from the central hub riser hole 20a than from the other holes, due to splattered particles of steel therein, and possibly other reasons, and therefore -it is not necessary for the cleaner head 42 to engage the surface of the hole entirely therearound as in the case of the holes 20b and cleaner heads 44.

The cleaner heads are also effective for knocking out risers from the holes. Risers, whether in the central riser hole or any of the outer ones, can be readily knocked out by the cleaner heads, and the cleaner heads follow with the cleaning of the sand therefrom.

The sand, upon being removed from the holes, drops down into a suitable receptacle, or is conveyed away by another conveyor.

The arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 1 includes a plurality of control means indicated uniformly at 36 which may be in the form of switches but may also include other control means. These controls, also identified with subscripts, are actuated variously. For example, the switch 86a is actuated by the cope itself, while the switch 860 is actuated by an arm 88 mounted on the movable sub-frame 34. These various controls are automatically actuated to provide the desired sequence of operation of the various components of the apparatus, and it is believed unnecessary to describe these in detail, sufficing it to say that one control is actuated by the cope, another by the movable frame, etc. The sequence of operation is such that the cope moves along the conveyor means to the desired position, and the conveyor means is then stopped, and thereafter the movable sub-frame 34 is lowered to move the cleaning heads into the riser holes. The movable subframe is then retracted to withdraw the cleaner heads, and the conveyor means is then again driven to move the cope away from the apparatus for other attention. In a practical method of operation, it may be further desirable to first rough-position the cope and thereafter make a fine adjustment thereon which may include moving it rearwardly, but as will be understood these refinements may be incorporated in the operation according to practical considerations encountered in the particular installation. The difficulty previously encountered in removing the sand by hand, namely, gouging or mis-shaping the riser holes, is overcome by the present apparatus in the accurate positioning of the cope and accurate movement of the cleaner heads into the holes.

While, as noted above, the preferred arrangement of the apparatus is to position the cope upright, since in such position the sand and other materials to be removed from the riser holes drop downwardly therefrom with greatest efliciency. However, the invention is not limited to such arrangement and is sufiiciently broad to cover substantially any other position of the cope such as inverted (FIGURE 6), horizontal (FIGURE 7), at an angle (FIG- URE 8), etc.

The invention encompasses various kinds of movement of the cleaner heads; for example, they may be reciprocated in the riser holes by the ram means 80, as indicated by the double-headed arrow 90 in FIGURE 1, or oscillated therein, or moved steadily forward without turning or rotating, etc., or any combination of such movements effective for producing a cutting and cleaning action.

Additionally, while the various features of the cleaner heads 44, namely, the blades 72, groove 76 and cutting edge 78, and the brush 64, all effect good cleaning functions and the combination thereof are believed to produce the best cleaning operation, it is within the scope of the invention to provide cleaner heads with only one of such features, or less than the total of those features.

While we have disclosed herein a certain preferred form of the invention, it will be understood that changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus of the character disclosed for use in conjunction with conveyor means for conveying copes therealong to, and past, a working station, comprising, in com bination, fixed support means disposed at said working station, a sub-frame mounted on said support means for vertical reciprocating movement, power means mounted on said support means operative for controllably moving said sub-frame vertically, and cleaner heads on said subframe operative for entering into holes in a cope, disposed at said Working station, in response to downward movement of the sub-frame for dislodging sand from the holes, said cleaner heads including a centrally located cleaner head and a plurality of cleaner heads disposed at circumferentially spaced points about said centrally located cleaner head.

2. Apparatus of the character disclosedfor use in conjunction with conveyor means for conveying copes to, and past, a working station, comprising, in combination, a fixed frame extending over and across the working station and having vertical guide rods adjacent its ends on opposite sides of the conveyor means, a sub-frame mounted on said fixed frame for vertical reciprocating movement and including members extending transverse-1y of the conveyor means, said transverse members having apertures slidably receiving said guide rods for guiding the sub-frame in its vertical movements, power means for controllably moving the sub-frame vertically including a cylinder mounted on the fixed frame and a piston secured to the sub-frame, and cleaner heads on said subframe operative for entering into holes in a cope, disposed at said working station, in response to downward movement of the sub-frame for dislodging sand from the holes.

3. The apparatus set out in claim 2 wherein the fixed frame includes a member extending across the conveyor means and cross pieces at the ends thereof, said guide rods are at the ends of the cross pieces and thus being disposed at the corners of a rectangle, the sub-frame includes a pair of members extending transversely the conveyor means, each having an aperture at each end receiving one of the guide rods, and cross pieces interconnecting said pair of members intermediate the ends thereof, and the power means includes one component mounted on said member of the fixed frame and another secured to the cross pieces in the sub-frame.

4. Apparatus of the character disclosed comprising, in combination, conveyor means for conveying copes therea-long to, and past, a working station, control means, including certain ones engaged by a cope as it is moving along the conveyor means, for stopping the conveyor and positioning the cope accurately in the working station, fixed support means disposed across said working station, a sub-frame mounted on said support means for vertical reciprocating movement, power means mounted on said support means operative for controllably moving said sub-frame vertically, and cleaner heads on said sub-frame operative for entering into holes in a cope, disposed at said working station, in response to downward movement of the sub-frame for dislodging sand from the holes.

5. Apparatus of the character disclosed comprising, in combination, conveyor means for conveying copes therealong to, and past, a working station, control means, including certain ones engaged by a cope as it is moving along the conveyor means, for stopping the conveyor and positioning the cope accurately in the working station, fixed support means disposed across said working station, a sub-frame mounted on said support means for vertical reciprocating movement, power means mounted on said support means operative for controllably moving said subframe vertically, and cleaner heads on said sub-frame operative for entering into holes in a cope, disposed at said Working station, in response to downward movement of the sub-frame for dislodging sand from the holes, said control means also including certain ones operative, in response to so accurately positioning a cope, for effecting lowering of the sub-frame and again raising it and thereafter starting the conveyor for carrying the cope past the working station and another one thereto.

6. The apparatus set out in claim 1 wherein each cleaner head includes downwardly directed sand-penetrating elements spaced circumferentially around the periphery of the head.

7. Apparatus of the character disclosed for use in conjunction with mold copes, each having a plurality of riser holes opening through the top thereof, comprising a working station, conveyor means for conveying the copes therealong to said working station until each cope is oriented with the riser holes therein in a predetermined position, a vertically movable frame above the working station, and a plurality of cleaner heads mounted on said movable frame arranged in a pattern corresponding to the riser holes in the cope whereby each cleaner head enters into a corresponding one of the riser holes in response to lowering of said frame.

8. The apparatus set out in claim 7 for use with copes, each of which has a central hub riser hole in which is disposed a spider including radial arms defining holes between adjacent arms, and wherein the cleaner head that is disposed for entry into that hub riser hole includes downwardly extending blades corresponding in number and aligned with the holes between radial arms for entry thereinto.

9. The apparatus set out in claim 7 for use with copes, each of which has a plurality of riser holes arranged in a circle around the central axis, and wherein each cleaner head that is disposed for entry into each of those riser holes includes a plurality of downwardly directed angul'arly spaced arms and a circumferentially continuous cleaning edge thereabove, operative for cleaningly engaging the surface of the riser hole continuously therearound.

10. The apparatus set out in claim 9 wherein each cleaner head also includes a circumferentially continuous brush above said cleaning edge operative for engaging the surface of the riser hole continuously therearound.

11. A cleaner ahead of generally cylindrical shape including radial blades on a bottom surface terminating adjacent its periphery, a downwardly facing peripheral groove adjacent the upper limit of said blades defining a downwardly directed peripheral cutting edge, and a circumferential brush above and projecting at least slightly radially beyond said cutting edge.

12. Apparatus of the character disclosed for use in conjunction with conveyor means for conveying copes therealong to, and past, a working station, comprising in combination fixed support means disposed at said working station, a sub-frame mounted on said support means for movement toward and from a cope disposed at said working station, power means mounted on said support means operative for controllably so moving said sub-frame, and cleaner heads on said sub-frame operative for entering into the holes in the cope in response to movement of the sub-frame toward the cope, for dislodging material from the holes, said cleaner heads including a centrally located cleaner head and a plurality of outer cleaner heads disposed at circumferentially spaced points about'the centrally located cleaner head.

13. Apparatus of the character disclosed for use in conjunction with conveyor means for conveying copes to, and past, a working station, comprising, in combination, a fixed frame at the working station and having guide rods adjacent its end on opposite sides of the conveyor means, a sub-frame mounted on said fixed frame for movement toward and from a cope at the working station and including members extending transversely of the conveyor means, said transverse members having apertures slidably receiving said guide rods for guiding the sub-frame in its movements, power means for controllably so moving the v sub-frame including a cylinder mounted on the fixed frame and a piston secured to the sub-frame, and cleaner heads on said sub-frame operative for entering into holes in the oope in response to movement of the sub-frame toward the cope, for dislodging material from the holes.

14. A cleaner head of generally cylindrical shape having a first end by which it is supported and a leading end opposite thereto, the cleaner head having a peripheral groove adjacent its leading end facing in leading direction and defining an outer peripheral cutting edge, the cleaner head having a circumferential open portion leading directly radially inwardly a substantially distance from the radially inner edge of the groove and thus positioned to 7 8 receive material from said cutting edge in a cleaning References Cited by the Examiner operation. UNITED STATES PATENTS 15. A cleaner head according to claim 14 wherein the 232,406 9/1880 Lamb 15 1O416 X cutting edge is circumferentially continuous and the 1,490,038 4/1924 Smith 15 .104 16 cleaner head has a plurality of radial blades on its lead- 5 2,115,439 4/1938 w lf 15 58 ing end extending radially inwardly from said cutting 2,480,150 8/1949 Lofstrand 1576 X edge and beyond the leading end in leading direction. FOREIGN PATENTS 1 6. A cleaner head according to claim 15 including a 200,249 7/1923 Great Britainperipheral brush at a position spaced from the leading 10 end and extending radially at least slightly beyond the CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

peripheral surface of the remainder of the head. EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DISCLOSED FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING COPES THEREALONG TO, AND PAST, A WORKING STATION, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, FIXED SUPPORT MEANS DISPOSED AT SAID WORKING STATION, A SUB-FRAME MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR VERTICAL RECIPROCATING MOVEMENT, POWER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS OPERATIVE FOR CONTROLLABLY MOVING SAID SUB-FRAME VERTICALLY, AND CLEANER HEADS ON SAID SUBFRAME OPERATIVE FOR ENTERING INTO HOLES IN A COPE, DISPOSED AT SAID WORKING STATION, IN RESPONSE TO DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF THE SUB-FRAME FOR DISLODGING SAND FROM THE HOLES, HEAD CLEANER HEADS INCLUDING A CENTRALLY LOCATED CLEANER HEAD AND A PLURALITY OF CLEANER HEADS DISPOSED AT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED POINTS ABOUT SAID CENTRALLY LOCATED CLEANER HEAD. 